Traditional approaches to teaching bioethics courses include, among other things, case studies from clinical or research ethics, chapters on patient autonomy and beneficence, conflicts of interest and the dangers of hidden prejudice. All of these are essential to a good bioethics course. In my experience, however, incorporating the arts—whether it is a poem, short story, film, or a painting or play—enhances the curriculum and encourages students to see differently. The arts have the power to startle, to challenge beliefs, to invite people to see the world through others’ eyes. In our culture, the arts are often relegated to the province of entertainment, but they can be powerful teaching tools, particularly in a field of study in which empathy is highly valued.The beautiful and haunting poem, “Monet Refuses the Operation” helps students see the world from a disabled patient’s perspective, where quality of life may be interpreted quite differently from that of the physician’s usual experience. Hawthorne’s short story “The Birthmark” illustrates the dangers of scientific research without sensitivity to the needs and wellbeing of the patient, as well as the themes of physical enhancement and perfectionism. The HBO movie Miss Evers’ Boys puts faces and personalities to those physicians, nurses, and patients involved in the infamous Tuskegee Study. Another Hollywood film, GATTACA, explores the issues of genetic engineering and privacy. The paintings of Van Gogh and O’Keefe, the poetry of Coleridge and Byron, the novels of Woolf and the music of Schumann, offer glimpses into the minds of creative geniuses struggling with mental illness. The presentation will include examples as well as suggestions of how to incorporate them into a traditional bioethics course. A list of resources, contact information, and an invitation for further discussion and collaboration will be provided.